Large thanks to Cosmopolitan which has picked out Rooms of Their Own to feature in their list of "32 Gift Ideas for Writers That’ll Get Those Creative Juices Flowing". Here's what they say:
Sometimes the best way to cure writer’s block is to get lost in a fascinating book, and this one will definitely do the trick. It takes readers around the world to show where 50 of the most beloved writers and authors ever found their inspiration.
There are a lot of bookshelves and bookcases in the illustrations by James Oses in my new book Rooms of Their Own about where great writers write/wrote. Here's his interpretation of the circular setup beloved of the iconic 16th century essayist Michel de Montaigne in his tower writing room. We know that around part of the walls were rows of curving bookcases where he kept his personal library of around 1,000 books while on the ceiling above his head where he worked were dozens of motivational quotes.
My latest book, Rooms of Their Own, is out next month (but of course pre-orderable from your local bookshop and the other usual suspects). I think all readers of Bookshelf will enjoy it. Here's some information about it, plus a couple of sample spreads featuring the work of the highly talented illustrator James Oses.
Rooms of Their Own travels around the world examining the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works.
The perennial question asked of all authors is, 'How do you write?'. What do they require of their room or desk? Do they have favourite pens, paper or typewriters? And have they found the perfect daily routine to channel their creativity? Crossing centuries, continents and genres, Alex Johnson has pooled 50 of the best writers and transports you to the heart of their writing rooms – from attics and studies to billiard rooms and bathtubs.
Discover the ins and outs of how each great writer penned their famous texts, and the routines and habits they perfected. Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky. Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture. But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write.
From James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses.
In looking at the working lives of our favourite authors, bibliophiles will be transported to other worlds, aspiring writers will find inspiration and literature fans will gain deeper insight into their most-loved authors.
